Campaigner: Disabled should get funding for call girls

People in Holland get 12 'sexual experiences' a year and the UK should allow the same, says Worcester man

A campaigner is urging the government to look into the pros and cons – of funding vice-girls for the disabled.

And Chris Fulton, from Worcester, points out the red light scheme has proved a winner in Holland, where the state funds 12 ‘sexual experiences’ a year. He’s even prepared to take the government to court for not catering for his needs.

The
29 year-old, left wheelchair-bound by cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, launched the campaign after failing to find romance through traditional avenues, such as nights out and dating agencies.

He
is currently searching for a law firm which will consider bringing a legal case against the Government for not coughing-up for call-girls.

“I
want to make it clear, I have tried the usual ways of getting a relationship or sexual experiences,” Chris told the Sunday Mercury.

“I
have been to nightclubs in Birmingham but they are no good for me. When
I tried to use dating agencies as soon as they heard I was disabled they didn’t want to know.

“My campaign is not just about having a sexual experience, but about showing that disabled people need relationships, too.

“I want the Government to copy the Dutch scheme which offers vouchers for disabled people to use for sexual activity.

“What
I would like, as well, is a solicitor to come forward who can help me put a case against the Government. I think these kinds of experiences are part of my human needs.”

And
Chris also hopes his battle will help reduce prejudice. He added: “There is a lot of stigma over disabled people having relationships and I
want to help break that down.”

Chris, who lives at home with his mum Debbie, 57, needs constant support, with carers visiting daily.

He
is put into bed at 8.30pm each night, leaving little time for socialising. Former child nurse Debbie, herself a wheelchair user, backs
her son’s campaign.

She said: “It is not for want of trying that Chris has not found what he wants. It is a work in progress to get Chris into a position where he can meet someone.

“But he has a carer who comes each day to put him into bed, and they are inflexible about the time this happens.

“So, as a 29 year-old man, he is in bed by 8.30pm each night, which is not good for him.”

And Debbie says the state funded sex trips would help Chris. She added: “It could be run through a charity type of set-up.

“And it would not be a purely sexual thing, but more of a therapy for him.”

Neil
Coyle, director of policy and campaigns at Disability Rights UK, said the topic was not something the charity is treating as a priority.

He
said: “There would need to be a change of the law and then the means of
people using public money to purchase these vouchers. Were it to be changed, then it would be within the person’s power to use existing benefits such as Disability Living Allowance and direct payments to cover the cost.

“At Disability Rights UK, we have a lot of other issues that are priorities at this time and the main concerns are around getting any benefits at all.”